Stave-finishing machine



Jue 1s, 1929.

A. M. wALsTRoM STAVE FINISHING MACHINE Filed Nov. 21, 1927 s sneetsfsheet 1 June 18, 1929.

A. M. wALsTRoM STAVE FINISHING MACHINE Filed Nov. 2l, 1927 43 Sheets-Sheet 2 im... um. mm M Q t UQ NAW x E W L V 4 n N N 5 a h\ MN u W3 M mm NN a wm Il. Mm. 11i ll/ {Ilwhllvdlulh @QN l mm U www I. l MI n mi .my lilhl Il i hx ni Qn.

June 18, 1929. A; M. wALsTRoM sTAvE FINISHING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 31 ZZ Z5 Patented .lune i8, 1929.

unire srA'rEs PATENT OFFICE.

AXEL M. VALSTROM, OF MINNEAIOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO ELGLN BUTTER TUB COMPANY, OF ELGIN, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLNOIS.

STAVE-FINISHING MACHINE.

Application filed November 21, 1927. Serial No. 234,684.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for finishing staves, and while various kinds of staves can thus be finished, the invention is particularly7 illustrated in connection with staves such as now commonly used in butter tubs. Such staves are now made from straight slabs and are first barrel saw-ed to bring the same to a concavo-convex form of substantially uniform thickness. Before .being used in the assembled tubs, the staves must be refinished to be made perfectly smooth and of uniform thickness. rIhe staves when roughly finished usually have parallel edges and are lat-er trimmed to have converging edges so as to form a conical tub. The finishing operation also includes bevelingone end of the staves and cutting a transverse groove adjacent its other end. Such staves are now commonly made of ash or spruce wood. rThe staves made from ash are inclined to warp badly and be considerably out of shape before the finishing operation is performed, so that, with the method of planing and finishing heretofore used, it is impossible to plane them to uniform thickness throughout the entire width of the stave. It has heretofore been the general practice to finish the staves by running them lengthwise through a planing or finishing machine, so that the staves move against the cutter in the direction of the grain. lith this method of finis ing the staves, the cutter often raises slivers of wood so that a smooth surfaceis not obtained.

lt is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide a method and apparatus for finishing the stoves, whereby the staves are advanced to and moved past the cutters, transverselyY of the grain.

it is anotheriobject of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for finishing staves in which the staves are passed between spaced relatively fixed cutters and engagedy bv means disposed substantially in the plane of the a nis of said cutters for moving the same between said cutters. i

llt is still another object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for finishing staves in which the same are moved past *he cutters transversely of the grain, said cutters being in spaced series, said cutters in the different series being staggered so that the portion which is not finished by the first air of the cutters is finished by a subsequent pair of cutters.

It is 'still another object of the invention to provide an apparatus for finishing staves comprising a pair of spaced rotary cutters between which the staves are moved transversely of the grain, a pair of spaced rotary means engaging said staves at opposite sides respectively, said latter means having their axes disposedsubstantially in the plane connecting the axes of said cutters.

It is still further an object of the invention to provide an apparatus for finishing stavcs comprising a pair of spaced relatively fixed rotary cutters between which the staves are moved transversely of the grain, and a pair of means for feeding said staves between said cutters, which means are resiliently mounted in respect to each other.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fully set forth in the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which Fig. 1 is a ccntralvertical section through the machine;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken substan-r tially on line 2 2 of Fig. 1, asindicated byv the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2, as indicated by the arrows;

Fig. d is a section taken substantially on line 4 4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a finished stave; and

Fig. 6 is a view in side elevation of a modified forni of the cutters used.

Referring to the drawings, a machine is shown comprising spaced units A and B as shown in Fig. 1 and these units being similar, one description will suffice for both. Each unit comprises spaced frames having end members 10 provided with base flanges adapted to rest upon the floor or other suitable support, and having intermediate outwardly projecting lugs 10h to receive the transversely extending bars 11 secured thereto by the bolts 12. Said end members also have the projecting top lugs 10. Bearings 10d are also. provided at one side of the frame members 10a in which is journaled a shaft 13, said shaft carrying at one end a driv ing pulley 11i. An open-ended cylindrical drum 15 extends between the end members 10ar engaging the inner sides thereof, said drum having inwardly extending end flanges 15a connected to said end members by the spaced bolts 16. The drum 15 has secured thereto about its periphery spaced rings 17 held in place by the bolts 18. Itoothed members or ring gears 19 and 2O are rotatably mounted on the drum 15 between rings 17 and the frame members 10 respectively. The shaft 13 has pinions 21 secured thereto, which mesh respectively with the gears 19 and 20.v The frames 10n have projecting bosses 10c to which are bolted the ball bearing assemblies 22 which are of common standard type, and it will be noted that there is a ball bearing assembly 22 both above and below the bosses 10e, said assemblies being connected to said bosses by the threaded studs 24 having thereon the nuts 25. Shims 21 may be inserted between the bosses 19e and the bearings 22. Shafts or arbors 26 and 27 are journaled in the bearings 22 and vcarry spaced cutters 28 and 29 respectively. Shaft 27 has a pulley 30 secured to one end and the shaft 2G has a pulley 31 secured to the opposite end thereof. The units A and B have a plate 36 extending therebetween, which plate extends transversely between the end members 19a and similar plates 37 ext-end from the front of unit A and the rear of unit B, said plates extending inwardly substantially into engagement with the gears 20 and rings 17. The end members 38 disposed above the end members 10a have lugs 38a projecting outwardly in alinement with the lugs 10C. Studs 39l extend through the lugs 10c and 38a and have coil springs 49 thereabout above the lugs 38a, said coil springs being engaged at their upper ends by the washers 41 which are in turn engaged by the nuts 42 on studs 39, the upper of which nuts forms a lock nut. The members 38 have disposed therebetween and engaging the inner sides thereof the openended cylindrical drum 43, similar to drum 15, having inwardly extending annular flanges secured to the members 38 by the spaced bolts 44. The drum 43 has spaced rings 45 extending thereabout and bolted thereto. A toothed member or ring gearV 46 is rotatable on the drum 43 between the rings 45 and similar gears 47 are also rotatable on drum 43 between the rings'45 and the end members 38. The members 88 have bearings 38" at one side thereof in which is jonrnaled the shaft 48 having a pulley 49 secured thereto and said shaft has pinions 59 secured thereto meshing respectively with gears 46 and 47. It will be noted that the drum 15 has openings in its upper side through which the cutters 38 project and the drum 43 has openings in its lower side through which the cutters 29 project. The rings 17 have a portion cut away to accommodate the cutters 28 and the rings 45 have a cnt ont portion to accommodate the `cutters 29. The rings 45 have tbe hinge 51 secured thereto as shown in Fig. 1, to which are secured and hinged the segments 52 adapted to swing downwardly and outvardly by gravity. A chain member is also provided, extending between th-e frame members 10n above the plate 36, which chain member comprises the side links 53 connected by the pivots 54 on which are jonrnaled the :rollers 55, which rollers extend between said side links. The chain is anchored on the pins 56 disposed closely adjacent the rear of the rings 45 on the unit A, as shown in Fig. 1.

1n operation the staves 57 are fed to the machine as illustrated in Fig. 1. The staves as shown in Fig. 5, are of considerable length and they are progressed transversely as shown by the arrow at the left of Fig. 1, and advanced to the cutters in a direction transversely of the length thereof and transversely of the grain of the wood. The staves move along on the plate 37 and are eventually engaged by the teeth of the gears 4G and 47 at the top and the teeth of gears 19 and 2O at the bottom in the left hand section of the machine, as shown in Fig. 1. It will be seen that the staves are disposed with their concave side downwardly so that they substantially fit over the surface of gears 19 and 20. They are engaged along a line extending lengthwise thereof parallel to the axis of gears 46 and 47 at their upper sides and held firmly down on the gears 19 and 20. It will be noted that the pressure on top of the staves is a yielding one, owing to the springs 49, by means of which the upper gears are held downward. This pressure, of course, can be adjusted as desired, by adjustment of nuts 42. The gears 19 and 2() and gears 4G and 47 will be driven in opposite directions by belts applied to pulleys 14 and 49 respectively. The Y cutters 28 andi29 will also be driven at high speed in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1, by belts applied to the pulleys 31 and 3() respectively. It will be noted that these cutters are relatively iixed, but that the distance therebetween lcan be varied by insertion or removal of shims 21a of suitable thickness. The cutters being thus driven. will act on both sides of the staves 57 and finish the same to a uniform thickness, pro- I ducing a very smooth finish. The movement of the cutters is transverse of the grain of wood and there is no danger or possibility of the cutters lifting end grain slivers which will be torn oit to leave a rough surface. It will be seen that the staves are engaged firmly between the gears and the stave is thus straightened between the same so that no matter how badly the stave has been warped, it will be finished to the uniform thickness. It will also be noted that the axis of the cutters 28 and 29 and of the drums 15 and 43 are in `the same plane and that the lines of engagesame plane. It will be seen that as the staves pass between the cutters 28 and 29 they will have two spaced strips or Zones finished thereon. The staves then pass onto the plate 36 and are moved along by succeeding staves and held down on said plate by the weight of the chainrollers 54. The staves are thus advanced to the right hand unit of the machine as shown in Fig. l and are again engaged by the gears as before and moved between the cutters 28 and 29 of this unit. The cutters 2S and 29 of the unit B are staggered in respect to the cutters 28 and 29 of the unit A and it will be seen that there are three pairs of cutters which are designated respectively 2S and 29a in the unit B. These cutters are also rotated at high speed in opposite directions as indicated by the arrows in Fig. l and se spaced that they will finish the strips at the ends of the staves and the strip at the center of the staves which were not finished by the cutters 28 and 29. After the stave passes the cutters 28 and 29 therefore, it is completely finished on both sides and brought to a uniform thickness. rllhe staves after passing the cutters 28 and 29a pass on to the rear plate 37 and are discharged from the machine. It will also be noted that the cutters in both sections of the machine are revolved in the direction opposite to the rotation of the gears which feed the staves. The machine will be equipped with suitable suction devices (not shown) to draw off the sawdust or cuttings from the interior of the cylinders l5 and 43. The segments 52 on the rings 45 drop down into engagement with the staves so that the cuttings will be directed up into the cylinder 43 to be carried away by the suction draft.

ln Fig. 6 a modified form of the cutters 2S and 29a is shown, in which the central cutters are similar to the cutters 28 and 29, but in which the upper cutter 59 is of greater width than the lower cutter GO. The cutter GO also has a saw blade 6l bolted to its end adapted to cut a kerf or crono P2@ in one side of the stave 62 which will be at the bottom end of the stave to receive the bottoni of the tub. The cutter 59 also has a saw blade 63 secured to its end, which will trim the end of the stave (i2. The cutter 58 beneath the stave as shown at the right hand side is similar to the cutters 28a, but the cutter 64 at the top of the stave has a flared portion G4 adapt-ed to finish the staves with a taper or bevel 62h at its upper end. This gives a finished appearance to the tub. The cutter 64 also has a saw G5 secured to its end which will trim the other end of the stave. he stave is thus brought to the finished condition shown in Fig. 5.

Frein the above description it is seen that applicant has provided a very efficient method and apparatus for finishing staves, so that a smooth surface is assured on both sides of the stave, and by means of which the staves are brought to a uniform finished thickness. The staves are properly finished regardless of whether the same have Warped or not after being roughly finished. In planing or finish ing machines heretofore used for boards and staves, a cutter or pair of cutters are used for finishing the board and feeding means are usually disposed at the front and rear of the cutters in the direction of feed. It will be seen that with such an arrangement a short piece of material cannot be fed to the critters, and owing to the fact that the feeding means is spaced from the plane of the cutters, there is very frequently a chattering ofthe material even in long stock, so that a roughened or corrugated surface is produced. lith such machines also, it will be seen that if a warped stave is passed therethrough, it will not be finished to a uniform thickness. The bulged or convex side of the stave will have a surplus of stock taken off by one cutter and the edges will have a surplus taken oftl by the other cutter. In the present method and apparatus7 the material is engaged directly in the effective plane of the cutters so that it is gauged and brought into proper relation to the cutters and will be cut to a uniform thickness, no matter how warped it may be. To do this, of course, it is necessary to have engaging means between and at the sides of the cutters so that only a portion of a stave can be finished by one Set of the cutters. Two sets of cutters or a two unit machine is thus necessary. There is also no possibility of chattering of the piece, because it is firmly engaged and held in posit-ion directly at the cutting` point of the cutters. This new method and apparatus can be used to finish staves or pieces of material which are extremely narrow, as these narrow pieces will be firmly ,held while they are smoothly finished to a uniform thickness. Heretofore it has been necessary to leave considerable stock on the roughly finished staves so that there would be enough stock for finishing if the staves were badly warped. Vith applicants method where the stave is firmly engaged along longitudinal element-s at opposite sides thereofvand brought to a definite thickness. an extremely light cut can be taken and very little stock removed from the stave. At the same time, the stave is brought accurately to a uniform thickness no matter how much it is warped and it is unnecessary to have a large surplus of stecken the unfinished stave. The staves in unfinished condition, therefore, can be brought much nearer to ultimate thickness and more of the staves can be packed in a carload. A great economy is therefore effected by applicants method and machine in the thickness of the roughly finished staves. All that is necessary in finishing the staves isthat they be brought to a uniform thickness as they are subsequently formed into the proper curvature for the tub and assembled therein.

Cir

The invention has been amply demonstrated in actual practice and found to be very successful and efficient.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the apparatus and in the steps and sequence of steps of the method without departing from the scope of applicants invention, which, generally stated, consists in a method and apparatus capable of carrying out the objects above set forth, such as disclosed and defined in the appended claims.

lVhat is claimed is l. A stave finishing machine having in combination, spaced rotary cutters at opposite sides of the stave and between whichthe stave passes, and spaced rotary means engaging opposite sides of the stave respectively to move the same between said cutters, the axes of said cutters and means being substantially in the same plane.

2. A stave finishing machine having in combination, spaced rotary cutters at opposite sides of said stave and between which the stave passes, said cutters ha Ting relatively fixed axes, a pair of spaced rotary means engaging opposite sides of said stave to move the same between said cutters, said rotary means having their axes substantially in the plane connecting the axes of said rotary cutters and being relatively yieldingly mounted.

3. A stave finishing machine having in combination, spaced series of laterally spaced cutters disposed at opposite sides of the staves and between which series said staves pass, and spaced series of laterally spaced cutters disposed at opposite sides of said staves beyond said first mentioned series between which latter series said stavcs subsequently pass, the

cutters of said last mentioned series being staggered relatively to the cutters of said first mentioned series, whereby they cut the portions of the staves passing between said first mentioned cutters.

Y 4. A stave finishing machine having in combination, spaced seriesof laterally spaced cutters disposed at opposite sides of the staves and between which series said staves pass, spaced series of laterally spaced cutters disposed at opposite sides of said staves beyond said first mentioned series between which latter series said staves subsequently pass, the cutters of said last mentioned series being staggered relatively to the cutters of said first mentioned series, whereby they cut the portions of the staves passing between said first mentioned cut-ters, and feeding means between the cutter of each series engaging said staves along a line disposed substantially in the plane of the axes of said cutters.

5'.- A stave finishing machine having' in combination, a member having a conve): surface over which the staves are moved, yielding means engaging said stavcs along a line and pressing the same against said member to engage the latter along a line substantially parallel to said line and to move said stave, and cutters at opposite sides of said staves for surfacing the same'to a definite thickness between said lines.

6. A method of finishing staves which consists in engaging and pressing upon the same along spaced parts of a line extending longitudinally thereof, moving the stave by said engagement, and finishing the same by a finishing tool moving across the grain thereof and substantially at said line between said parts thereof.

7. A method of finishing staves which consists inA engaging and pressing upon the same along spaced parts of a line extending longitudinally thereof at opposite sides thereof, moving the stave by said engagement, and simultaneously nilshing the same on opposite sides by tools moving across the grain thereof substantially at said lines and between said parts.

8. A method of finishing staves which consists in engaging and pressing upon said stave along longitudinal lines at opposite sides and in the saine vertical plane, moving the same past spaced finishing cutters acting on said lines in a direction transversely of the grain of said stav-es to finish zones extending thereacross. and then engaging and pressing upon the same at opposite sides along lines in the same vertical plane and on said finished Zones and moving` the same past cutters acting on said latter lines in a direction transverse to the grain thereof to finish the portion between said Zones.

9. A machine for nishing staves having in combination, spaced hollow cylinders, spaced rings secured thereabout, toothed annular members on said cylinders between and at the sides of said rings, spaced rotary cutters disposed respectively within said cylinders andprojecting therethrough adjacent their lines of proximity, means for rotating said toothed members on said respective cylinders in opposite directions, and means for rotating ,said cutters in opposite directions.

lO. The structure set forth -in claim 9, hinged segments at one side of said rings vat the lower portion thereof on the advance side thereof.

ll. A stave finishing machine having in combination, a frame comprising spaced members, a hollow cylinder extending between and rigidly secured to said frame members, spaced rotary feeding means rotatable on said cylinder, a pair of shafts `iournaled in said frame disposed one above the other in rigid relation, cutters secured on said shafts, frames disposed above said members respectively and vieldingly secured thereto, a cylinder extending between and rieidl secured to said frames s aced feeding means rotatable On said last mentioned CII ico

cylinder, means for driving said shafts and cutters in opposite directions, and means for driving said feeding means in opposite directions.

12. A stave finishing machine having in combination, a frame, a drum secured to said frame, spaced guiding means on said drinn, gear rings surrounding said drum between said guiding members and rotatable on said drum, a shaft extending through said drum and cutters secured on said shaft, said drum having openings in its side wall through which said cutters project, means for rotating `id gear rings and means for rotating said cutters and shaft oppositely to said gears.

13. The structure set forth in claim 12, 'a second shaft journaled in said frame above said first mentioned shaft, cutters carried by said last mentioned shaft, frame members disposed above said frame, springs holding said frame members in position but permitting yielding movement of said frame, spaced guiding means on said drum, gear rings on said drum between said guiding means, means for rotating said last mentioned gear rings and means for rotating said last mentioned shaft kand cutters oppositely.

to said last mentioned gear rings.

14. A stave nishing machine having in combination, a frame, a hollow cylinder secured therein, spaced rings surrounding and secured to said cylinder, gears rotatable on said cylinder between and at the sides of said rings, a shaft extending through said cylinder, cutters mounted on said shaft and extending through an opening in said cylinder, a second shaft journaled in said frame without said drinn, pinions carried on said latter shaft and meshing` respectively with said gears, means for driving said latter shaft to rotate said gears, and means for rotating said first mentioned shaft in a direction opposite to the rotation of said gears.

15. The structure set forth in claim 141-, frame members disposed above said frame, bolts connecting said frame and frame members, springs surrounding said bolts and permitting said frame members to yield away from said frame, a drum secured to said frame members, spaced rings surrounding and secured to said drum, gears rotatable on said drum between and at the sides of said rings, a shaft journaled in said frame members, pinions secured to said latter shaft and meshing respectively with said last mentioned gears, and a shaft journaledin said frame and having its axis fixed relatively to the axis of said first mentioned shaft, cutters carried by said last mentioned shaft and projecting through an opening in saidl drum, means for rotating said last mentioned shaft and cutters in the direction opposite to said first mentioned cutters, and means for rotating said last mentioned gears in the direction opposite to said first mentioned gears.

lf3. A stave finishing machine having in combination, spaced series of rotatable cutters said cutters being disposed at opposite sides of said stave and between which the stave passes, the cutters in each series being laterally spaced, means for feeding a stave between said cutters in a direction transverse to the grain of said stave whereby spaced transverse zones are finished on said stave, spaced series of cutters beyond said first mentioned series, the cutters of said latter series being laterally spaced and disposed at opposite sides of said stave, and alined with the spaces between the cutters of said first mentioned series, means for feeding the staves between the cutters of said last mentioned series whereby the parts not nished by said first mentioned cutters are nished by said last mentioned cutters, and means for supporting said staves for advancement from said first mentioned series to said second mentioned series.

17. A stave finishing machine having in combination, a rotary presser means disposed at opposite sides of the'stave and engaging the same along longitudinal lines and rotary means at opposite sides of the stave for reducing the same to a definite thickness, the axes of said means being disposed in a common vertical plane.

ln testimony whereof f afhx my signature.

AXEL M. VVALSTROM. 

